Women Alumni of NJIT Shine in Many Fields

Stephanie Monteiro believes that her NJIT experiences helped her get to her current position as associate technical analyst at Merck.

Before graduating with top honors in chemical engineering in 2008, she had two summer internships at Schering- Plough, which she parlayed into a full-time job in the company’s Global Technical Services group. When Schering-Plough merged with Merck in 2009, she continued on with the company.

A Career in the Pharmaceutial Industry

“My internships were a valuable part of my education,” she said. “I experienced quite different sides of the pharmaceutical industry, research and management. I was also able to start building personal relationships with people who might be future colleagues in the industry.”

She says that her experiences as an Albert Dorman Honors College scholar also helped to shape her path. “The Honors College was a unique community of individuals with great expectations, working toward a path similar yet different from your own,” she said. The students had such a diverse variety of skills to share with each other.” She said the college helped her get started at Schering by introducing her to a member of the Honors College Board of Visitors who was a senior vice president in the company.

“There are so many companies that NJIT has ties with and so many connections that are available to us as students,” she said. “The resources and opportunities are available to students if they want them.”

Future Physical Therapist

Jackleen Samuel plans to have her own practice in aquatic physical therapy and to work with athletes. As a member of the first class in NJIT’s accelerated physical therapy program, she is well on her way toward those goals.

While she was a student in Albert Dorman Honors College, she was able to work with the university’s athletics center to gain knowledge and experience in athletic training. She also worked as a physical therapy aide at Comprehensive Orthopedic Physical Therapy for two years, coached soccer camps in summer, and worked as a soccer referee. When she received her BS in Biology in 2011, she went on the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program at the UMDNJ-School of Health Related Professions.

“NJIT taught me that it’s not about where you’ve been, but where you are going,” she said. “The school gives opportunities to people who might not get them otherwise – it’s one of the most diverse campuses I’ve ever seen. It’s also a small but inclusive community where everyone has a chance to get involved without getting lost, and students can connect more easily with their professors."

At UMDNJ, she is active in community outreach programs such as health fairs and community clinics, helping to provide screenings for blood pressure, strength, balance and posture. She is expected to received her DPT degree in 2014.

Combining Aesthetic Beauty and Innovation

Although she graduated less than a year ago, Sara Jane Rin has found the job for which she prepared as an industrial design major at the School of Art + Design. She is a designer at Rich Brilliant Willing, a New York firm specializing in lighting and furniture design and manufacture.

She came to NJIT because she was interested in both engineering and design, and NJIT was one of the few schools that offered both majors. After starting out as an engineering student, she took some design electives and “fell in love with industrial design,” eventually switching majors.

“Studio was such an awesome atmosphere to work in. It was very demanding but I loved the challenges and the creative energy. Studio became a second home for me and most of the industrial design majors.”

NJIT offered her a broad range of experiences and opportunities, including assignments as a marketing intern at Newwork LLC, a Newark-based architecture firm, arts and culture blogger at Globally Newark.com, exhibits design intern for the Newark Museum and design positions at Ran Lerner Design and POD DESIGN + MEDIA.

“One of my goals while in school was the gain exposure for myself and my designs in different exhibits. NJIT and the School of Art+Design made it possible for me to exhibit my work both domestically and abroad. My scholarship allowed me to develop projects for exhibition with material studies and prototyping,” she explained.

Venues where her work has been exhibited include the London Festival of Architecture, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, New York Center for Architecture, Design Newark, and Audible Holiday Gala Auction. All of these experiences helped prepare her for her career.

“Combining aesthetic beauty and innovation, as a designer, I aim to create, influence and succeed, with the sight of my creativity,” she says.

Toward a Career in Construction Law

Melissa Salsano '11 plans to combine her degree in civil engineering with her skill in debating to gain a legal degree and a career in construction law. She is already well on her way to that goal, as a law student at Rutgers Law School where she is associate editor of the Law Review and plans to graduate in 2014. She is currently a judicial intern with the New Jersey Judiciary – Appellate Division and served as a law intern for the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, Transportation, Construction and Condemnation section.

She honed her skill in debate by twice participating in the International Speech and Debate Competition, in Buenos Aires in 2007 and London in 2008, earning third place overall honors as well as first place in rhetorical criticism. NJIT, she says, taught her about people.

“At NJIT, I have opportunities not open to students at other universities,” she says. “I have learned how valuable it is to talk with people from other cultures and backgrounds and understand their life experiences. Comparing your thoughts and opinions with others can open your eyes to so many avenues of interest and possibilities. These insights will be invaluable in a legal career.”

A Future Dentist

The main reason that Naina Kaushal chose to come to NJIT was its 7-year accelerated BS/DMD program since it provided a faster path to a dental career. So when she completed her BS in Biology in 2011, she moved right down the street to the UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School as a member of the class of 2014.

At the dental school, she is president of the class of 2014, and last year, as a second-year student she took first place in the pre-doctoral category in the School’s Balbo Dental Research Expo for her work on gingival epithelial cells with Professor Gill Diamond of Oral Biology. Eventually, she hopes to specialize in orthodontics or pediatric dentistry.

She says that NJIT’s Newark location is very much a plus in her estimation.

“Newark is a prime location— here, it’s easy to reach out and find opportunities such as internships in New York City and research jobs at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. The easy access to technology and resources is a big plus at NJIT,” she said.

She says that NJIT offered her a top-quality education at a great value as well as exposure to a diverse campus community and an emphasis and community service.

“NJIT is a great institution for career-oriented students looking for an education of value in a very diverse arena,” she said. The Albert Dorman Honors College gives talented students the opportunity to expand their horizons beyond one’s particular major.”